Isabelle Lendl watches her ball flight at No. 13 during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship at The Country Club in Cleveland. Lendl defeated Whitney Hillier of Australia, 2&1.

Nicole Zhang waits in the fairway at No. 12 during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Ariya Jutanugarn hits her tee shot at No 1 during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Jennifer Kirby at No. 9 playing against Lauren Diaz-Yi during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Emily Childs looks toward her sister, Carly Childs, after losing during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Carly is following in her sister’s footsteps and attending California.

Amy Anderson hits a shot at No. 17 as her brother/caddie, Nathan, watches during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Anderson defeated Moriya Jutanugarn, the runner-up at last year’s Amateur.

Moriya Jutanugarn reacts to missing her putt at No. 17 during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Jutanugarn lost her match and does not advance to the Round of 32.

Erynne Lee with her father Brian on the bag looks down the fairway at No. 13 during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Lee defeated the current U. S. Girls Champion, Minjee Lee of Australia.

Amy Anderson hugs Moriya Jutanugarn after she won 1 up during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Jutanugarn was the runner-up at last year’s Women’s Am.

Moriya Jutanugarn watches from the greenside bunker as her ball drops into the hole at No. 16 during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Erynne Lee pumps her fist as her putt drops at No. 12 during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Ariya Jutanugarn won her match 3&1 during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Her sister Moriya failed to advance.

Sierra Brooks of Sorrento, Fla., during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Jaye Marie Green during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Lauren Diaz-Yi during the Round of 64 at the 112th U. S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

Anderson had been in this position before. Jutanugarn knocked her out in a run to the final a year ago at the U.S. Women’s Amateur before eventually falling to Danielle Kang. It is arguably the biggest amateur accomplishment of Jutanugarn’s young career.

While it’s hard to imagine that the smiling, blond Anderson or the equally affable Jutanugarn could hold a grudge against anyone – let alone each other – Wednesday’s match at The Country Club was a tight one. It still ended in laughter, and soon after a tearful Jutanugarn was in Anderson’s arms.

The final holes of that match were unlucky ones for Jutanugarn, and the day ended in Anderson’s favor, 1 up. At no point did the match become more lop-sided than that.

“She’s a phenomenal player, there’s no doubt about that,” Anderson said. “I knew that I had my work cut out for me, but it is good to get a win.”

All square at No. 16 tee, Jutanugarn took a lead by holing out from a deep greenside bunker for birdie. From behind the green, only the top of Jutanugarn’s head was visible when she got over the shot. The ball hung on the edge of the hole for a split second before dropping.

From there, Jutanugarn’s drive at the 17th landed in a divot and she put her next shot in a bunker. She horse-shoed a par putt to fall back to all square. Another bunker at the 18th kept Jutanugarn from matching Anderson’s birdie. And that’s where her Women’s Am redemption run ended.

As for Anderson, the Women’s Am caps a summer that was good to her passport. Anderson compiled a 3-2 record for the U.S. team at the Curtis Cup in Nairn, Scotland, then represented the U.S. at the World University Games in the Czech Republic.

Anderson, a North Dakota State senior, loved the team environment in both events, and says her Curtis Cup experience helped her down the stretch at The Country Club. She made just two bogeys Wednesday, both set up by bad approach shots.

“When I get down, I tend to get a little bit too aggressive, too fired up,” she said. “I just need to relax and hit good shots and let them win it. I can’t lose it.”